4* shards are borderline impossible to get and the arenas are complete trash.

I’ve had enough of the god awful crystal arenas and it’s time I return to ranting about this treachery. The old system was good enough, put in around 500k get 3-10% and get 650 shards. Now I work my backside off for absolute jack black! Believe me when I say I put in 600k for 8-12% which is only 200 shards! I don’t want a lazy excuse saying that 4* shards should be hard to get because now they’re almost impossible to get! Say I get the 5-7% ‘rewards’ (450 shards, complete crap) every arena for a month, that’s 1800 shards... Unacceptable. The hard spotlight does give 1000 shards but that’s still 2800.. Very rarely we do get 500 shards in raids but that’s rare. So for average players like me that’s not even two crystals a month. I know I know they used to be over given but now the game has grown, some players having 3 r5s, I think it’s time we return the old and good arenas and make 4* shards a little easier because it sure is not a happy feeling seeing you get absolute crap for putting all your time into these ruined arenas.

Yeah I remember those, I didn't have the bot strength to really get super high back then, but at least (like it has been mentioned in the forums in the past) you could look to a milestone and try and achieve that goal. Plus the amount of arena chips gained per fight (if I remember correctly) made it a little easier to farm gold.

Yeah I remember those, I didn't have the bot strength to really get super high back then, but at least (like it has been mentioned in the forums in the past) you could look to a milestone and try and achieve that goal. Plus the amount of arena chips gained per fight (if I remember correctly) made it a little easier to farm gold.

Well now that AM costs are gone gold really isn’t a problem but the milestones oh man those were the good old days, actually had something to look forward to..

The first, imo, is that this games player population is VERY small, which makes these 'pools' very small as well. Many many players choose to not even do 1 arena, which then causes the 'pool' to remain small.

Case and point - this recent Crystal Bounty arena I put up around 800k, and that got me rank 255. Which amazingly puts me in the 5 - 7% range. There are 2 other % ranges above that before we get into the top 10 which have smaller ranges, so presumably, there are less than 100 people in each of those ranges that make that rank.

There is 0 (ZERO) incentive for new players to join arenas. Having no milestones at all does not entice players to join. Needing to score hundreds of thousands of points to get a couple of hundred 4* shards does not entice people to play.

MCOC players had a 'Get in the pool!' campaign for a while trying to encourage players to at least complete the milestones in the Featured Champ arenas, as doing so would widen the pool of players who could fall in the range that awards the champ. This games arena is arguably much easier as I think in order to "get in the pool", a player only needs to do 1 arana match. However - at least with MCOC there immediate rewards for "getting in the pool" in the form of a good chunk of milestone rewards.

This game with its current population and low player base should be throwing as many rewards at players as it can to try and pull new players in, as well as keep older players entertained. I really have never understood why the Devs decided to get rid of milestone rewards like they did. That alone is a MASSIVE reason why arenas are so terrible and unfun.

Agreed, and if you weren't decently well off before the last stratification (after milestones were removed) you're pretty much sol on getting shards. At least for the America region the amount needed for 3-4% keeps going up significantly every time it's up. 800k isn't enough anymore and likely it'll be much higher next round.

The rare raids and spotlight hard 100% aren't really an option for many of the newer players leaving them with no obvious path to a 4*. If we want to keep new players ( and older casuals) we need a decent feeling of progression towards a 4*. A combination of milestones and rethinking rank rewards for crystal bounty would go a long way.

I get that 4* shards were ridiculously easy to get for a month or two there (got 3 4* bots in just over a month myself) but it seems like they overcorrected, especially taking milestones out of arena. I actually skip some arenas now since the rewards per time swing between three "tiers"
Tier 1: Play five minutes, get in the pool, get 51-100% rewards. Reward-effort ratio:decent.
Tier 2: Play off and on all day, hit 200+ points, get 15-20% rewards which really aren't much better. Reward-effort ratio: Blargh
Tier 3: Ignore family/friends/pets/work and grind my face off, score 650+ points and hit the 5-7% reward. Reward-effort ratio: Decent.
The above scenario, in my mind, is the reason we need a good hard look at the arena rewards.

Agree 100% with all of you guys. Didn’t think it was just me who finds the new(ish) arenas to be very discouraging and not worth the time. Hopefully the response we get is of good quality (don’t count on it haha) because at the moment this is one of the most serious issues..

I’ve had enough of the god awful crystal arenas and it’s time I return to ranting about this treachery. The old system was good enough, put in around 500k get 3-10% and get 650 shards. Now I work my backside off for absolute jack black! Believe me when I say I put in 600k for 8-12% which is only 200 shards! I don’t want a lazy excuse saying that 4* shards should be hard to get because now they’re almost impossible to get! Say I get the 5-7% ‘rewards’ (450 shards, complete crap) every arena for a month, that’s 1800 shards... Unacceptable. The hard spotlight does give 1000 shards but that’s still 2800.. Very rarely we do get 500 shards in raids but that’s rare. So for average players like me that’s not even two crystals a month. I know I know they used to be over given but now the game has grown, some players having 3 r5s, I think it’s time we return the old and good arenas and make 4* shards a little easier because it sure is not a happy feeling seeing you get absolute crap for putting all your time into these ruined arenas.

i played first crystal bounty, spent 1 and a half hour to get 200 4* shards, on second day of cb i didnt touch arenas and i wont until they get fixed

Long post incoming.. TL;DR: Arena has a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell.

Here's the irony of all this, even though I actually agree with this thread in general.

It's a self-fulfilling situation. Fewer players join arena every day, so the brackets get smaller which in turn raises the points threshold to attain those lucrative brackets.

For me, it's a little shocking that over 2/3 of the player base doesn't even run ONE match on arena to qualify for rewards.

There's no proof that any move on Kabam's end would spark interest in arena. If that many aren't playing a single arena round now, do you think milestones are going to raise participation by any significant factor?

My opinion... From Kabam's perspective, minimal participation is what they want anyway. Fewer players getting rewards = more motivation to spend to progress.

Also my opinion... That type of monetization philosophy is the wrong way to be going about it. If players feel like they can't invest reasonable time & money to progress, they won't spend an unreasonable amount of money to make it happen. The majority will just play for free and deal with it or leave.

The solution is to take the AM model and expand it to arenas. Reduce the rank rewards by 50% and push them into milestones. The players at the top will still progress faster, but it fosters a much more enjoyable atmosphere, and probably more profits in the long run.

Interesting point @Manthro . So Kabam actually invents a system where even you don't play arena, you're punishing those who play by shrinking the pool. The one precious minute I save by boycotting the Arena, will be the one more minute some top player must grind for in order to shoehorn into 1-2%. Is this how they design a PVP alternative? Great.

Long post incoming.. TL;DR: Arena has a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell.

Here's the irony of all this, even though I actually agree with this thread in general.

It's a self-fulfilling situation. Fewer players join arena every day, so the brackets get smaller which in turn raises the points threshold to attain those lucrative brackets.

For me, it's a little shocking that over 2/3 of the player base doesn't even run ONE match on arena to qualify for rewards.

There's no proof that any move on Kabam's end would spark interest in arena. If that many aren't playing a single arena round now, do you think milestones are going to raise participation by any significant factor?

My opinion... From Kabam's perspective, minimal participation is what they want anyway. Fewer players getting rewards = more motivation to spend to progress.

Also my opinion... That type of monetization philosophy is the wrong way to be going about it. If players feel like they can't invest reasonable time & money to progress, they won't spend an unreasonable amount of money to make it happen. The majority will just play for free and deal with it or leave.

The solution is to take the AM model and expand it to arenas. Reduce the rank rewards by 50% and push them into milestones. The players at the top will still progress faster, but it fosters a much more enjoyable atmosphere, and probably more profits in the long run.

Agree. I've played many games and the more generous a dev is (just see how fast Marvel Future Fight grew) the more likely players are to spend. At least 'give' to an acceptable point so players don't get overwhelm by the game mechanics and feel that it's too much Pay 2 Win.

Removing milestones from Crystal Bounty gonna make the more casual players suffer from obtaining their 4* bots hence more will leave in droves or just doesn't bother with the grind anymore (hence they will downgrade themselves in time).

Hope you see the bigger picture here instead of just expecting big spenders to support the game. They will one day eventually stop playing too or get bored.. who else will help maintain your game then when that day comes?

They could have reduce 1000 4* shards on the old milestone bounty arena crystal, too only 500 4* shards on milestone. But, kabam did say they were given 4* shards way to fast. That the only reason we have this current bounty arena crystal when no milestone.

People don't bother with Arena as they know it's a pure grind. There's nothing fun about grinds, so why bother with it, especially now since there's a new arena grind every day. Take out milestones, and here we are at this point.

Honestly, I'm not bothered about them handing me a lot of stuff from milestones - I'm not expecting a 4* crystal every week, nor should anyone else if they're being reasonable - but they had a pretty major psychological effect in terms of keeping me focused on the grind. Without milestones, I end up aimlessly cycling through the arena over and over again, knowing full well that I'll struggle to get a decent rank unless I spend the whole day on it, and I won't even get my rewards until the following afternoon, so what happens with most arenas now is that I just get bored and move on to something else. The only ones I stick with are the featured bot arenas, for the exact reason that the milestones keep it from feeling like a waste of my time.

Honestly, I'm not bothered about them handing me a lot of stuff from milestones - I'm not expecting a 4* crystal every week, nor should anyone else if they're being reasonable - but they had a pretty major psychological effect in terms of keeping me focused on the grind. Without milestones, I end up aimlessly cycling through the arena over and over again, knowing full well that I'll struggle to get a decent rank unless I spend the whole day on it, and I won't even get my rewards until the following afternoon, so what happens with most arenas now is that I just get bored and move on to something else. The only ones I stick with are the featured bot arenas, for the exact reason that the milestones keep it from feeling like a waste of my time.

I’m not bothered by milestones either but I and a lot of others put a crap ton of time and effort just to get depressing results, they need to bring the old rank system back, the one with 650 shards on 3-10%. And how dare they take away the Saturday crystal arena! What a foolish decision.. At least now we can work for the featured 4* which makes up for that 4* crystal we’re missing due to the disgraceful arena changes, can’t wait for bumblebee! Oh wait he’s only in featured crystals! We’re doomed

my auto fights at workplace could give me 600k+ a day, If I put SOME effort it will be 800k around, if I COMMIT I go around 1.4m(often 1-2%, top ten could be reached). I have 15 4* bots and that is not even considered a lot.

my auto fights at workplace could give me 600k+ a day, If I put SOME effort it will be 800k around, if I COMMIT I go around 1.4m(often 1-2%, top ten could be reached). I have 15 4* bots and that is not even considered a lot.

my auto fights at workplace could give me 600k+ a day, If I put SOME effort it will be 800k around, if I COMMIT I go around 1.4m(often 1-2%, top ten could be reached). I have 15 4* bots and that is not even considered a lot.

No no is not about how much arena you do, I do all the arena I can do, 4 rounds of 8 series gives me 720k but that just ain’t enough anymore.. But we lucky we’re getting this bee gauntlet, says we can get a full 4* crystal so that ain’t bad.
But I ain’t gonna shut up until kabam fix this 4* shard problem..

My earlier answer was a bit flippant, and I apologize for that, but my point stands. Yesterday one of our alliance members posted a bit over 1 million points in the mod arena just to see if he could. He ranked 31st. You're putting up the numbers of somebody like Mustang or Dircules, so between that and your statement that 15 4* is not a lot, I'm feeling pretty safe in assuming you're in either Force, one of the OV family, or a similar hardcore-only alliance.
And yet, the fact that the second half of your post reads as "rebuild your life around the game" only illustrates our point. The game has to make money, I get it, but there's a pattern forming in which the big spenders and fanatic grinders fight, claw, and scrape for the top-tier (read: worthwhile) rewards, and the rest of the player base play musical chairs and vanish.
Just my two cents from playing and watching forums.

Lol, Mod Arena, no one plays it, half the higher rank players skip mod arena completely lmao, my 500k got me to top 10%. Its the crystals arenas if you ever bother look at ranking, higher average points need to get top 10 is 1.8m. Try to "win" every arena mindset is what makes you disappointed at the end, for casual players.

The point I try to drive is not to rebuild your life around a game, but to not expect your return compared to others who invested more(time, effort etc...), no one is cheating the points, rules and cooldowns are there although I too do not 100% agree on the milestone changes.

15 4* is not a lot compared to my alliance standard , im in a top 20 alliance, I never used Energon in arena, 1.4 million is doable and not time consuming if you know arena mechanics.

My earlier answer was a bit flippant, and I apologize for that, but my point stands. Yesterday one of our alliance members posted a bit over 1 million points in the mod arena just to see if he could. He ranked 31st. You're putting up the numbers of somebody like Mustang or Dircules, so between that and your statement that 15 4* is not a lot, I'm feeling pretty safe in assuming you're in either Force, one of the OV family, or a similar hardcore-only alliance.
And yet, the fact that the second half of your post reads as "rebuild your life around the game" only illustrates our point. The game has to make money, I get it, but there's a pattern forming in which the big spenders and fanatic grinders fight, claw, and scrape for the top-tier (read: worthwhile) rewards, and the rest of the player base play musical chairs and vanish.
Just my two cents from playing and watching forums.

So the rich get richer and the poor should be happy with their lot in life, I hear ya.
To return to the original complaint, it's a very valid point that upward mobility in the game has all but stalled, unless of course you break open Mr Piggy. The top alliances trade players between each other, but the gap between that elite group and the other 95% of the players is no longer being bridged by the stingy reward system in arenas that only gives decent rewards (t3 essence, 4* shards, etc) to the top 12%, and if you're not in the top 3-4% it will still take months of arenas to assemble a single spark, of which 3 (t3 crystals anyway) are required for membership into the top ranks.
Do you see the issue now? Before, if you ran as fast as you could and didn't play any game but this, you could grind your way up in the world. Now? You can run at that horizon for months and every now and then you'll crest a hill only to see that your goal has gotten even further away.
TL:DR Bring back milestones!

The key problem with all of these arenas is lack of participation. I would bet that the most popular arenas that are run are the Featured CHamp Arenas. Why? Milestones.

People can speculate all day long on how effective milestone rewards really are in terms of getting players to participate, but the fact of the matter is, many players want instant rewards for the work they do. Getting those rewards right away incentivizes them to 1. Get in the pool, and 2. continue doing arena fights to try and earn milestone rewards.

For any new player looking at arenas, they see a system that they need to invest a TON of time into to maybe get decent rewards...that they have to wait until the next day to get. And what ends up happening is this new player who never did arenas before, who has now spent 4-5 hours grinding matches, gets rewarded with a 1-2k PBC shards and a handful of 3* shards and thats it. All that work for what will most likely be a 2* and far less 3* shards than you needed to form a crystal.

The simple truth is Kabam don’t care about us, if they did we would have a response but what do you know, we hear nothing from them on this post. They know about the broken arenas and they simply don’t care, but I said this many times before I will not stop ranting about this because 4*s now are just too hard to get thanks to their stupid decisions, decisions too stupid to not be on purpose. They drop a whole t2 alpha for £30 yet they say 4* shards should be rare, no.. just no. I bet you guys both my balls that this post will be taken down because well, they can’t handle the truth! That they are destroying their own game out of greed and bad decisions.. Someone at Kabam please do take the time to read this because it’s time to make things a bit fairer for the play2win people.. A game is to be played. Not payed.

i played this game for 8 hours a day before maybe, grinded a lot didnt miss much maybe some arenas when i didnt get 1-2%, l progressed alot and for last 2 months since the nerf of rewards its not worth playing, you would expect a buff to rewards since progress is so slow when you dont buy anything but i guess that doesnt make sense

I’m lucky that I have a handful of 4* bots that if I really work at it, I can just top 1mil to get a few 4* shards. I think if I was just starting out and only had 2* bots, I would probably burn out before reaching the rank to get a decent amount of 4* shards.